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Chicago – Motor vehicle incidents are the leading cause of worker fatalities, and NIOSH Director John Howard said it is time to “unravel” the excuses and contributing factors that allow the trend to continue.

Speaking during the Occupational Keynote at the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo, Howard said NIOSH has launched the Center for Motor Vehicle Safety to help reduce motor vehicle fatalities – 17,000 of which occurred from 2003 to 2011.

Motor vehicle crashes have been the top cause of fatalities since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting the data, according to Howard. "I think that has led us to ignore them," he said.

The center currently is focused on truck drivers, and also will address workers who are at high risk even though their primary job is not driving, such as those in oil and gas extraction, emergency response, law enforcement, and highway construction. Projects include conducting a survey of long-haul truckers and working with manufacturers to improve the design of truck cabs.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.